Midplane
Also called the Medium, the Midplane is one of the Prime Planes of Creation along with Heaven and Hell. It is the center of the Material Universe and the stage on which most of the story takes place. The Midplane is composed of 9 Universes which turn around a central world called Crown. The Midplane is the key plane of the Cycle where souls are continually reincarnated in new bodies until they achieve enlightenment and can ascend to Heaven. Souls that become too heavy with sin fall to Hell until their sin can be burned away. After Creation, the Midplane was without form and void. In the center of this was the planet Crown where the first Gods awoke. From there, they tamed the Midplane, forging its raw state to create the first Universes which they would rule. This act drew the Devils from Hell, sparking the conflict called the War at the Dawn. At the climax of this conflict, Satan himself hunted and slaughtered numerous Gods, shattering the Universes they created. After he was sealed by the Great Bahamut and the barrier was erected by Adam, the broken Universes were absorbed into the surviving ones so that 9 remained. Crown, the Center Around Which The Midplane Turns Crown is the hub around which the 9 Worlds turn. It was the place where the first Gods awoke and from where they could look out upon Creation with a desire to master it. The Gods would eventually abandon it in order to set out into the Midplane to forge their Kingdoms, leaving it a bleak and desolate world. The War at the Dawn had the unintended consequence of losing access to Crown, effectively cutting off the Universes from eachother. This state of events would remain until the firmament was pierced by the Dragon God Adam during his search for other survivors, but when he did not find what he was looking for he left it. However, the door he opened would eventually be used again by the Djinn King Ramuh, who would use it to re-establish contact between the surviving God Clans. He would go on to create a city called Sanctuary, which would serve as a place of safety for gods who had lost their Clans or been driven from their own universes. The 9 Worlds Since the aftermath of the War at the Dawn, the Midplane has been divided into 9 Universes. There were initially many more worlds prior to the War at the Dawn, but many of these were destroyed by the Devil King, Satan. In the aftermath the surviving gods warred amongst themselves for control of the remaining 9 worlds. However, the power difference between some of these Clans were substantial and before long 9 Clans managed to achieve supremacy. This battle finally ended when the God King of Shiva, Adam managed to bridge the divide back to Crown where he brought the survivors of many of the shattered Clans so that they could rebuild there. Here they founded the city of Sanctuary which would act as a neutral zone for all Gods and allow the 9 God Kings to meet to discuss their differences. Each World is under the control of a supreme God referred to as a God King. These God Kings rule their World according to their whims, but their divine nature will tend towards balance and order. The 9 God Kings are analogous to the 13 Archdevils and to a man are generally stronger, though as a collective are about even in power. The God Kings are among the mightiest entities in existence, strong enough to be feared not only by mortals but even by other Gods. So great was their power that their presence was enough to keep other Gods from attempting to invade their world. During the Heroic Age, Rao was widely regarded as the strongest of the God Kings though he was also considered to be arrogant and lazy. St. Michael the Archangel was a close second and until his attempted invasion and subsequent loss to Rao it was hotly debated which of the two were stronger. Irem Ramuh is one of the oldest of the God Kings, having been a young man on Crown during the Feud. Using the template developed by the Makers, he and his Djinn Clan created the World of Irem. God King: Ramuh Guardia The Beast Gods were one of the more active Clans during the Feud and lost much of their leadership in that conflict. Leadership eventually fell to Ragna and his younger sisters the twins Set and Horus. Now called Ragna Khan, he withdrew the Beasts from the Feud and using the Song of Creation perfected by the Shapers created the Universe of Guardia. Because of his status as the eldest son, Ragna Khan rose to prominence in Guardia and was recognized as God King. He weathers almost constant attempts by his sister Set to depose him, but generally these are thwarted by his other sister Horus. Along with Ramuh, Ragna Khan is one of the more regular attendees to the meetings on Sanctuary and most interested in brotherhood among the Gods and cooperation among the God Kings specifically. He is greatly admired among the God Kings and is regarded as the most honorable of their number. God King: Ragna Khan Zion Zion is the Kingdom under the control of the Angelic Host which was established during the War at the Dawn. It was controlled by Zeal, who was called the Lord until his demise at the hands of Satan and has since been under control of the Archangels lead by Michael. During the War at the Dawn, Zeal created numerous races, including one functionally identical to humans. Even after his disappearance, worship of Zeal continued through the Church of Light. The Church has waxed and waned in influence throughout the eons, but has been a constant presence in Zion because the Angels prevent it from dying out. God King: Saint Michael Shiva Shiva is the Universe settled by the Shivan Dragons of Light. Because the Dragons abandoned Crown early in the Feud, wanting nothing to do with either side, they were among the best established in the World. From their hidden base of Ultima they successfully resisted attempts by the Archdevils to invade Shiva and even made several campaigns into Hell itself. The War at the Dawn ended when their leader Bahamut sacrificed his life to seal Satan in the icy river Cocytus, he bequeathed his power to his lieutenant Adam who erected the barrier between the Midplane and the Underplane. Adam would rule Shiva himself for ages before creating a partner called Eve. With her, he sired a new generation of Dragons but would ultimately be betrayed and murdered by his son Strife. Fearing the same fate would befall him, Strife endeavored to swallow all of his children by his sister Asura but would later be overthrown himself by his son Rao. Rao and his siblings were called the Holy Dragons and ruled Shiva for eons until they were wiped out in an event called the Cataclysm which left Rao the sole survivor. Rao was the recognized God King of Shiva until his death at the hands of the Dark Prince Cain, after which the Gods of Sanctuary came to regard the Watchers as the new Gods of Shiva. God King: Rao Neon The World called Neon is under the control of a group of Gods known as the Titans, and is unusual in that the Titans themselves are split into 2 camps, one dedicated to good and the other dedicated to evil. They were initially united into a single tribe under their leader Archon who kept the peace between his children Augusta and Abrasax. However, when Abrasax was able to kill his father, the world they were on split. Afterwards Augusta became known as Highmother and her world became called Whitestone. Abrasax became called Skullking and ruled from his world, Nemesis. Neon is unusual compared to the other Worlds in that Power users are comparatively rare, with the vast majority of its mortals unable to channel Aura. However, the world is flush with people with superficial abilities, the most notable being the Crusaders of that world's Earth. God King: Highmother Vedra God King: Kovoran Ember Ember was created by the Ariella and the Phoenix Clan and protected by them throughout the War at the Dawn. Caspia God King: Barbarossa God King: Ariella Asher Asher is ruled by the Jester God Swift from his throneworld Laputa. God King: Swift Trivia - Blah Blah Blah Category:Prime Planes Category:Places